PHIL IN THE BLANK: Alex Rodriguez gets hit in the back by a pitch from the Phillies' Joe Blanton as catcher Carlos Ruiz watches during the Yankees' 7-4 win last night in Game 4 of the World Series. Tim McCarver (inset) said the pitch was not intentional, otherwise "it makes no sense" -- analysis that makes no sense. Photo: Reuters

What has happened to Tim McCarver that he now latches on to dubious issues, losing sight of the clearest and most present ones? What now makes him so sure of things he can’t possibly be sure of?

Last night, first and third, one out in the top of the first, Alex Rodriguez, on the first pitch, gets hit by the pitch. McCarver said it was not intentional, otherwise, “it makes no sense.”

But if the Phils had planned to walk Rodriguez, why didn’t hitting him — or brushing him back — make sense?

In the top of the second, Shane Victorino doubled, running hard all the way. McCarver next claimed that Victorino runs hard on every play. Victorino was next seen jogging home on Chase Utley’s double.

A bit later McCarver said “it’s unusual” for a catcher, Jorge Posada in this case, to flash a lot of signs when there’s no one on. OK, but might that have something to do with those close-ups of the catcher’s signals that Fox showed throughout the ALCS and now the Series?

More: Game 2, top second, two out, man on second, Matt Stairs hits a shot under Rodriguez’s glove to score the runner. McCarver said that in such a situation, Rodriguez had to knock the ball down, “to keep it first and third . . .

“I think that the first thing you’re thinking, man on second, two outs, you’re thinking that if you have to range to your left or to your right, to keep the ball in the infield. But when the ball’s hit right at you, you’re thinking about making the play.”

What?! It’s not that complicated. Stairs is slow. If Rodriguez had knocked it down, he still had a shot to throw him out, inning and issue over.

In Game 3, McCarver made large issue of Phils starter Cole Hamels throwing a curve — “his third best pitch” — to Andy Pettitte, who flared an RBI single into center. But the issue wasn’t the pitch selection — Pettitte hardly crushed it — it was why Victorino was playing deep. Not a word about that, even after replays. Too much of that extraterrestrial stuff from McCarver. Unless, of course, he’s trying to re-invent baseball, in which case he’s doing a fine job.

Good show and tell last night on Nick Swisher‘s batting stance change. But why wait till the fifth to show us? . . . Better late than never, this World Series Fox has cut way back on crowd shots. . . . It finally hit reader Joe Belfiore, Freehold Twp., where he’d first seen that Fox pitch tracker: “It was 40 years ago, in a Brooklyn schoolyard, painted on the handball wall to ‘call’ balls and strikes.”

Why would John Sterling, during the World Series, be any more inclined to provide even a half-decent radio call? Late in Game 3, a pitch to Rodriguez that bounced in the dirt and kicked off the catcher he described only as “the pitch is low.” . . . Don’t know whose Series stuff to read first, David Wells‘ or Howard Rubenstein‘s.

Doesn’t DirecTV have any other commercials than that one with Dana Carvey? . . . Steve Lazarus, Yankee Stadium vendor, comedian and author (“The Pope & Me at Yankee Stadium”), working Game 2: “Beer, $9! Or just three easy payments of $3!” . . . World Series lookalikes: Mitch Berkowitz, Gladwyne, Pa., submits Raul Ibanez and Jiminy Cricket.

Nice job on the Game 3’s national anthem by the cast of “Glee.” Still, what a pity that our anthem is exploited for a sell, to promote a Fox show. Put it this way: If “Glee” was on NBC or if the Series wasn’t on Fox, it wouldn’t have mattered how well Fox’s Glee’s members perform our anthem, they wouldn’t have been invited.